‘I have played at Chelsea for a long time and it’s now time for me to leave,’ Mikel told Sabah.

‘I’m still only 26 and it’s great to receive an offer from a club [Galatasaray] playing Champions League football and doing well in the competition.’

Trophy hungry: Mikel wants to win the Champions League once again (Picture: Getty)

It is understood Galatasaray are not willing to part with more than £7million for Mikel, while Chelsea would seek in excess of £10m for a player they paid £17m for in 2006. However, Mikel does not believe agreeing a fee will prove hard.

‘‘Talks have reached an advanced level between Chelsea and Galatasaray. Chelsea won’t make the move difficult and regarding my salary there won’t be a problem. All that is left is for the clubs to reach an agreement.’

If the deal does go through as expected, Chelsea are expected to move for Toulouse enforcer Etienne Capoue and Roma’s Daniele De Rossi as potential replacements.